You may remember my friend the Pink Lion, but he has another identity: IGSA! Formerly known as the Inter-Galactic Space Assassin, IGSA was in need of a new uniform for Burning Man 2012. I honestly don’t remember quite how this design evolved, but it was glorious.
Tying into his other incarnation, I just love that long gold zipper. It’s magnificent against the silver fabric of the suit! And could that suit be any tighter? The fitting sessions were hi-larious, and as an honorable lady my own Jason was present (and laughing just as much as I was).
The main idea of this suit is IGSA’s heart chakra. It’s represented by green in the middle of the chest, and we found nebulous inspiration on the internet. The pink star was omitted, and I really enjoyed recreating this idea.
First I blocked off the zipper with painters’ tape, and then sprayed a mist of fluorescent green paint over the chest. Once that was dry, I pinned Solvy stabilizer to the area, and marked the points of the lightning bolts. I used zig-zag stitches of various lengths and widths with my black light reactive green thread to really get some pupils bouncing. The final step was the wavy lines, which I made using glow-in-the-dark puff paint. Texture and visuals! Anyone else hallucinating?
To contrast with the green, I put a glittery orange trim on all raw edges, instead of hemming. You can’t tell in daylight, but I used a neon orange thread for this step, which really glows in an ultra-violet environment.
IGSA needs his supplies, so I made this fabulous fanny pack for him. I happened to have the black/silver glitter vinyl and wide elastic belt in my stash, which matched so perfectly with the lycra of his suit. I LOVE the vinyl pouch; the construction is just sexy. It’s got a giant snap on the back, for easy removal and re-attachment under most inebriated circumstances (and beyond those, helpful bystanders would easily be able to figure out the system).
The last step was a cape. Mint-green minky dot on one side, and black-light reactive matrix fabric on the other. Pimpin’ green color, and you got yourself a cape! I hear that it was very warm, and I can attest to the fabulousness of it.
